FAMILY, TRIBE FEUD OVER SEWER PUMP

Station placed on land near Pala Casino without permission

PALA 
Members of a family on the Pala Indian Reservation say the tribe put a large sewer pump on the family’s property without their knowledge or permission.

Vincent Marruffo, whose family owns 2 acres north of state Route 76, said the pump was built on the land seven years ago, but no one contacted the family for permission. Marruffo said he found out about the pump a year ago when he was doing research into his family’s land holdings.

Now the tribe and the family are talking about how to resolve the problem.

Doug Elmets, a spokesman for Pala, said tribal leaders are working with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to reach an agreement with the family.

“The tribe and the BIA have been working together cooperatively to resolve the situation, and currently appraisals are being submitted to determine the appropriate compensation for the pump station,” Elmets said.

The lot is about a mile east of the Pala Casino. It has been in Marruffo’s family for generations but had been vacant for many years. The family consists of about 70 individuals, some of whom are Pala tribal members.

Marruffo is a Pala descendant and says he is eligible for membership, but the tribe disagrees.

About seven years ago, the tribe moved a nearby sewer pump station to Marruffo’s property. The pump serves the tribe’s casino and surrounding tribal homes.

Marruffo said his family had no immediate plans for the land, but it could be valuable as a location for a business due to its proximity to the casino. He said tribal leaders have expressed an interest in buying the land, but his family doesn’t want to sell.

The family would like to lease the land and get one lump payment as compensation for the years the tribe used it without permission.

In September, the tribe offered to pay $80 a year to lease the .14 acres that the pump station uses, according to a letter from the BIA to the landowners. That figure was based on an appraisal report commissioned by the tribe.

Family members said the offer was an insult because the appraisal did not take into account the value of the pump, which allows the casino to function by helping to process the waste it produces.

“This is a big deal,” said Johnny Ayala, a family member. “There are millions of gallons of sewage going through here.”

The parcel that the tribe is asking to lease is only a small portion of the 2-acre lot, Elmets said.

“The appraisal was conducted by an accredited appraiser and was consistent with the guidelines the tribe received from the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” he said. “The $80 per year lease reflects the actual value of this very small parcel.”

Marruffo said his family is waiting on a new appraisal, expected to be completed in February or March, to start negotiations with the tribe for compensation. Moreover, the pump emits a foul odor around the station and occasionally spills sewage on to the property, he said.

If the two sides can’t reach an agreement, Marruffo said his family will ask the tribe to remove the pump from the property.